Dripless, splashless nozzle

Abstract

A nozzle assembly for dripless, splashless dispensing of liquids of various viscosities is comprised of three elements: a tubing terminator, a nozzle body and a nozzle head. The tubing terminator is adapted at a first end to accept fluid flow from a compressible tube into a central bore, which does not extend all of the way to the second end, but ends with at least one radial bore. When the tubing terminator is inserted into the nozzle body and fluid flow is initiated, the fluid leaving the terminator impinges an intermediate bore portion having walls angling away from the longitudinal axis of the nozzle body. This impingement serves to swirl the fluid and minimize dripping and splashing. A nozzle head, which covers the flow chamber into which the intermediate bore portion of the nozzle body opens, has a wire mesh screen covering the opening out of which the fluid is dispensed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for precisely dispensing an aliquot of a fluid, said process comprising: a. placing in a reservoir an amount of said fluid comprising a plurality of said aliquots, said reservoir connected by tubing to a peristaltic pump, which is in turn connected by tubing to a nozzle assembly comprising: i) a generally cylindrical tubing terminator having first and second ends with a central bore from said first end terminating short of said second end, with at least one radial orifice bored therethrough proximate to the second end, said first end provided with means for engaging an end of said tubing; ii) a nozzle body having first and second ends and a central bore therethrough, said central bore having first and second portions of differing constant diameters, the first portion having an inner radius slightly larger than the outer diameter of said tubing terminator and the second portion having an inner diameter larger than said first portion, said first and second portions communicated by a third portion having an inner diameter which increases smoothly from the diameter of said first portion to the diameter of said second portion, said nozzle body provided at its first end with means for engaging said tubing terminator such that each said radial orifice is juxtaposed with the third portion of the central bore of the nozzle body; and iii) a nozzle head having first and second ends with a central bore therethrough, said first end provided with means for attaching said nozzle head to the second end of said nozzle body and the central bore at said second end provided with a screen means; and   b. repeatedly energizing said peristaltic pump to dispense, in a splashless manner, a single aliquot of said fluid into a container positioned proximate to the second end of said nozzle head.